, 1887-03-26

D0IulIO. Iu0 uSUCC WOIOA INV >
but some of them hesitated from the fear that
the church might be burned down and mobbed,
but Mr.. Beecher emphatically declared that
he would rather preach over the ashes of his
church than preach in a comfortable building
that could not be used for the maintenance Of
free speech, and the trustees agreed to con-
sent. Some years afterwards, when another
riot was threatened in New York and when
the use of nearly every public building was
refused, Mr.. Beecher again insisted hat
Plymouth Church should again be used for
the same purpose, and although the city was
then under the government of a party which
was not at all in sympathy with Mr.. Beecher
or his views, the result Of his public appeal
to the citizens to maintain the right of free
speech was so effective that police were sent
to guard the church, and the scattering mob
which came with the intention of creating a
riot was speedily dispersed. Again, IN 1860
serious threats of the mob were made and a
crowd of hostile people surrounded the church
on one Sunday evening, but volunteer guards
protected the building throughout the service
with no worse result than that OF one stone
coming through a window.
THE SLAVE WOMAN.
"On several occasions Mr.. Beecher intro
duced slaves to the audience in the church,
thus to give a practical illustration OF what
slavery really was. This did not happen
more than three or four times, and was not
done for the mere purpose of exhibition or
excitement, but always with some practical
end in view. On one of these occasions a
Young woman, very nearly white, together
with her child, was introduced to the u
ence, having been allowed by her master to
come North upon her pledge to return IN
case the amount necessary to redeem her was
not raised, and after the sermon, IN which
Mr.. Beecher strongly impressed on his hear
ers the duty of opposing slavery IN the spirit
of patience with shareholders and Of hating
the system without hating the men who were
involved in it he appealed to them for a col
lection to liberate this slave woman. VI
course the amount was instantly raised and
the incident made a scene Of great agitation
and feeling. Mr.. Beecher, however, did not
encourage applications of this kind, knowing
that such relief could reach only an exceed
ingly small part Of the slave population.
AFTER THE WAR.
CATER the war Mr.. Beecher instantly ap-
pealed to the people North to deal generously
and magnanimously with the South. lmme-
diately after the surrender OF Richmond ne
expressed in strong terms his desire tor a
complete reunion of the people North ana
South, and the opposition to any schemes Oh
punishm 9nt or imposition of penalties other
than the mere abolition Of slavery. The
majority of his people, however, had become
so excited by the events of the war as to
receive this advice with disfavour, and on the
assassination Of Lincoln, which happened
while Mr.. Beecher was at Fort Sumter, and
therefore could know nothing about 1t, this
feeling on the part of most Of his friends be-
came quite intense and especially strong
among those who had not been known as
Abolitionists before the war. Many OF them
informed him on his return that they would
not consent to his advocating general amnes-
ty, as he had intimated his intention OF dong.
It was the first time in which any OF Mr.,
Beecher's friends had thought hin too con-
servative, and the opposition to his views was
the most vigorous that he had ever met with
in his own circle. 1t made, however, little
difference with him. He persisted IN oppos-
ing the execution of Jefferson DAVIS, the con.
fscation of rebel property and every form OF
punishment The abolition of slavery he
never REGARDED as a punishment at all, but
rather as a benefit alike to the master and
the slave. For more than a year this dlHer-
ence of o~pinion between him and the majority
of his church continued, producing the only
instance of what might be called alienation
between them ever known IN the history
of the church. It was a singular fact, how
ever. that in these views he was sustained by
nearly every original Abolitionist among his
uu ~onoboro ond that the most strenuous